A systemic, evidence-based clarification
Microaggressions are often misunderstood, overgeneralised, or dismissed altogether. As the term has entered mainstream conversations, it has at times been stretched beyond its original purpose, leading to confusion, defensiveness, and, in some cases, backlash.
This makes precision essential. To engage meaningfully with the concept of microaggressions, we need to return to what they actually are, where the concept comes from, and why history and systems matter.
The concept that later became known as microaggressions originates in the work of psychiatrist Chester Pierce (1974). Pierce described the everyday often “stunning” insults and indignities experienced by Black Americans within a racially oppressive society. Crucially, he was not describing isolated interpersonal conflict, but recurring patterns of harm embedded within social systems.
Pierce was explicit that these experiences could not be understood through individual intent alone. He framed them as part of a broader racial ecology that continuously assaults the dignity, wellbeing, and mental health of Black people. In other words, the harm was systemic, cumulative, and normalised.
Building on this foundation, Professor Derald Wing Sue (2010) later formalised the concept, providing a clear definition and a framework that enabled microaggressions to be studied empirically across disciplines. Sue defined microaggressions as:
“Brief and commonplace daily verbal, behavioural, or environmental indignities, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative slights and insults toward members of marginalised groups.”
This definition is critical for two reasons:
• Microaggressions are identity-linked
• They are systemic, not merely personal
What microaggressions are not
Not every uncomfortable interaction is a microaggression. From an applied social science perspective, something is not a microaggression if:
• It is not connected to a marginalised social identity
• It lacks a historical and systemic context of oppression
• It is a purely interpersonal disagreement between people with comparable power
• It is being used to avoid accountability for ordinary feedback or conflict
Misusing the term risks stripping it of its analytical and ethical power, and can obscure the structural inequalities it was designed to surface.
Why history and systems are non-negotiable in understanding microaggression
Microaggressions only make sense when understood within systems of oppression such as racism, patriarchy, colonisation, ableism, or heteronormativity. Without this lens, the concept collapses into individual misunderstanding.
This is why the gap between intent and impact is so significant. Most microaggressions are unintentional. However, impact matters more than intent because impact reflects how power operates in real life. If someone has not been exposed to systemic harm, they may struggle to recognise why certain comments or behaviours cause harm. In organisational contexts, these patterns often show up as what Jana and Baran (2020) describe as subtle acts of exclusion, behaviours that may appear insignificant in isolation, but which cumulatively signal who belongs, whose voices matter, and who is expected to adapt (mask, code switch and so on).
Equally, because privilege is relational rather than absolute, someone can be a recipient of microaggressions in one context while still unintentionally enacting microaggressions toward others in another. This makes ongoing reflexivity essential for anyone committed to inclusion.
Microaggressions are not about blame or fragility. They are about developing systemic literacy and taking responsibility for how everyday interactions reinforce or disrupt inequity.
If you are interested in running an ‘Understanding Microaggressions’ masterclass, please reach out. You can connect with us at enquiries@inclusiveleadershipcompany.com
References
Jana, T., & Baran, M. (2020). Subtle Acts of Exclusion: How to Understand, Identify, and Stop Microaggressions. Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
Pierce, C. M. (1974). Psychiatric problems of the Black minority. In S. Arieti (Ed.), American Handbook of Psychiatry (Vol. II, pp. 512–523). New York: Basic Books.
Sue, D. W. (2010). Microaggressions in Everyday Life: Race, Gender, and Sexual Orientation. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
